


Not Quite Neverland

by Ithoughtyoulikedmereckless



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Future Fic, Stargazing, fluffy fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-06
Updated: 2019-10-06
Packaged: 2020-11-26 03:07:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20923151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ithoughtyoulikedmereckless/pseuds/Ithoughtyoulikedmereckless
Summary: “Where are we going Jug?” Betty says in a hushed whisper.“It’s a surprise.”“But-”Jughead puts a finger to her lips. “Shh, let it happen. Let me be romantic.”orJughead takes Betty stargazing to help her with her Astronomy homework.





	Not Quite Neverland

**Author's Note:**

  * For [redundantoxymorons](https://archiveofourown.org/users/redundantoxymorons/gifts).

> This might me a little cheesy because I got carried away with the fluff. Sorry not sorry? I hope you all enjoy:)

It’s 7:42pm and Jughead finds himself spending his Friday night flopped out on his couch with an empty popcorn bowl lying on the floor next to him. Netflix has the Christopher Robin movie all queued up. Betty had told him to be ready for her at 7:00pm  _ sharp _ because he just  _ had _ to watch this move with her. Forty two minutes, three bowls of popcorn, a missed call and two texts without responses later, Jughead is well and truly worried for his usually insanely punctual girlfriend. Just as he reaches the kitchen to put the bowl on the counter, his phone lights up from it’s spot on the couch. He chucks the bowl from where he is standing into the sink and dives back onto the couch, grabbing his phone. His heart sinks when he sees the text notification is from Veronica and not his girlfriend. 

_ Has Betty made it to your place yet? _

His heart immediately starts pounding in his chest, thinking the worst. 

**No, she hasn’t responded to any of my messages.**

**Is she okay?**

The bubbles indicating that she’s typing pop up immediately, and then go away. He waits five minutes without a reply before he can’t take it any longer.

**Veronica!**

A response comes in right away. 

_ Sorry! Archie was talking to me. _

_ She’s okay, she was really stressed out with homework when I left with Archie. Maybe go check on her? She could probably use a hug or a back rub.  _

Sighing in relief, he texts back. 

**I’m on it.**

Within two minutes, Jughead has his jacket on and it running out the door, hit with the chill air, indicating the change in seasons. Running down the street he gets a few stares from those he passes. Unlike New York, people are not used to college students running around in states of distress.

Coming up to Betty’s building, someone is miraculously coming out just as he gets to the front entrance, so he’s able to slip into the building without needing to ring up to her. A rowdy group of people get into the elevator and Jughead hesitates for a second before deciding to take the stairs to her apartment on the fifth floor.  _ Damn I really love this girl, _ he thinks. _ There’s literally no one else I would take these wretched stairs for.  _

He runs up about three flights before he feels like he’s almost dying, a horrible stitch in his side, so he has to finish the last two walking. By the time he gets to her floor, he’s wheezing pretty heavily.  _ Damn asthma.  _

He walks down the hallway and takes the spare key that Betty gave him out of his pocket, unlocking the door. Not wanting to startle her, he walks in quietly, slips off his boots and hangs up his coat on the rack. Making his way to Betty’s bedroom, he shakes his head at the disaster zone that is the bathroom after Veronica has used it to get ready for her date. Betty’s door is closed, so he softly knocks, before opening the door to peak his head in. 

The scene in front of him tugs a little on his heartstrings. Her head is down on the desk, hands in her hair, and papers littering the desktop all around her. There’s a bowl of untouched ramen and a half empty cup of coffee next to her. Betty’s usually impeccable ponytail is thrown into a messy bun on the top of her head, pieces falling out of the haphazard knot and into her face. 

“Betty? You okay in here?” he calls softly. Betty looks up at him, eyes rimmed red. Immediately, Jughead rushes to her side. “Oh hun, what’s going on?”

Betty pushes back from her desk and gestures vaguely at her computer before melting into tears. 

“Oh, Betts.” Jughead kneels in front of her, one hand cupping her cheek and the other in her lap, holding her hands. His thumb gingerly wipes the tears away before they can fall from her face. Jughead stands up, swiveling and pushing Betty away from her desk and gently shushing her when she tries to object. He makes sure to save the document that’s up before shutting her laptop. “There we go.” He walks back over to her with a small smirk and brushes his hands together, pretending the problem has disappeared.

Jughead tenderly reaches for her hands and brings her up from the chair. 

“Juggie, I have to finish this project by tomorrow. I’m sorry I didn’t come to our movie night, I didn’t even realize how late it was and I was trying to finish it by tonight so I could spend the weekend with you. It’s your birthday week and I really want to be with you, not...not stressing out over my homework.” Her voice cracks in the middle, anxiety rolling off of her in waves. He brings her in for a hug and cradles the back of her head. She relaxes against him, breathing deeply into his shoulder. 

He softly kisses the side of her head. “Your paper is on astronomy, right?”

She buries her face further into his shoulder and lets out a little huff of frustration. “Yeah, I can’t make sense of all the constellations. There’s just too many. All the stars look the same.” Her voice is muffled and he can feel the vibration of her words going through him. “Also,” she pulls her face from his shoulder to look up at him, “why are you wheezing? Did you run up the stairs?”

“Yeah, it’s the asthma,” he muses. “It’s killing me.” 

Glaring at him playfully, she remarks, “You don’t have asthma.”

He shrugs. “Yeah, I know. It just makes me feel better to pretend that I do.”

Betty’s head returns back to his shoulder and she giggles fondly, “You’re a doofus.”

His hand travels up and down her back soothingly as he lets out a low chuckle, glad to take her mind off of her stress for even a second. “Getting back to the dilemma at hand though, the reason you can’t make sense of the constellations is because you haven’t really  _ seen _ them.” 

Betty tilts her head to look up to his face with an adorably disgruntled look. “What does that even mean? I’ve been looking at these books for hours.” 

Jughead pulls back slightly, pulling her away from him by her hips so that he can see her eyes. Giving her a shy smile, he asks, “Do you trust me?”

Betty rolls her eyes at him. “What kind of question is that?” He can’t help but kiss her scrunched nose. “Of course I do, dummy.” 

“Ouch, I’m really taking a hit with all this name calling,” he says in mock offense. “We’re going on a field trip.” He tries to pull her towards the door but she stays steadfast in her spot, looking warrily at all the open books on her desk. “Let’s go, blondie. Your brain needs a break.” She still looks hesitant. “Would I ever do anything that would ever hurt you? Your grade included?” She allows him to pull her out of the door. “Exactly. Okay, now I need your keys.”

“What do you mean you need my keys? Didn’t you take your bike over here?” 

He looks at her sheepishly. “I kind of just ran out the door when Veronica said you were stressed. I figured it would be faster than trying to get my bike out of the parking garage.” 

Betty leans into his shoulder and kisses it through her smile. “You’re such a dork. They’re in the bowl by the door.” Jughead grabs the keys and takes her jacket off the rack, holding it out for her. They finish putting on their shoes and Jughead practically breaks out into a run once they are out of the apartment door. Her hand is gripped tightly in his as they race down the halls like teenagers finally out of the eyes of their parents.

Standing in the elevator, Jughead can’t contain his smile, giddiness spilling out of him.

“Where are we going Jug?” Betty says in a hushed whisper. 

“It’s a surprise.”

“But-”

Jughead puts a finger to her lips. “Shh, let it happen. Let me be romantic.” She melts into a smile against his finger and lets out a giggle when the elevator dings and Jughead pulls her towards the lobby. “Based on the uneaten ramen that was sitting on your desk, I’m guessing that you haven’t had anything to eat in far to long, right?” She shakes her head in affirmation. “Okay, first stop, chinese food.”

… 

They are sitting in the parking lot of the Chinese place, food acquired and One Direction’s fourth album playing softly in the background. Betty looks up at him, noodles hanging from her mouth and a completely sated expression on her face, a vast improvement from just twenty minutes ago. “Louis Tomlinson was my first love, I guess you’re a good enough alternative.” 

She giggles around the noodles and Jughead smirks at her. “Well, you should know that if Harry Styles ever comes around, I would dump you in a heartbeat for him.”

Betty gives him a faux affronted look, and shrugs. “Honestly, I’d be disappointed if you didn’t.” They’re both back into silence, listening to the calm melodies floating through the car. Betty begins to sing along with the music, directing her words at Jughead. “I think I’m gonna lose my mind, something deep inside me, I can’t give up” 

Laughing at her antics, he’s in disbelief that he actual gets to love this incredible woman. He gives up any self restraint that he might have had and begins to ding along with her. “‘Cause nobody knows you, baby, the way I do, and nobody loves you, baby, the way I do.” 

She swallows the noodles and take his face in her hands before finishing the song. “‘Cause nobody saves me, baby, the way you do.” She presses a sweet kiss to his lips, their eyes locking as she just holds him close for a moment. Eventually she goes back to her food. “Alright Juggie, what’s our next stop?”

Jughead turns to the wheel, shaking his head in fondness, there is literally no one else he would listen to One Direction for. And he will never admit that he kind of likes this album. But only a very little bit.

… 

On the road again, Jughead takes the backroads out of the quaint college town. Both he and Betty had decided they wanted a completely different area from Riverdale when going to college. After all the crazy that had followed them around in high school, their dream of bustling New York City became a dream of distant western Massachusetts.

After driving another ten minutes or so, Jughead turns into the small abandoned airfield. He parks near the edge of the tree line and cuts the engine, the headlights switch off and Betty stares at him in confusion. Hopping out of his side, he jogs over to her door to open it.  _ Chivalry isn’t dead folks.  _ He thinks wryly to himself. Upon opening the door, she asks with a big goofy grin gracing her features. “Is this where you kill me?” Jughead offers her his hand to help her out of the car. “You fill me up with Chinese food so I can’t run away with the ungodly amount of food slowing me down?” 

“You caught me.” he agrees, rolling his eyes at her playfully. Popping the trunk, he lifts the plaid blanket out that Betty keeps in her trunk for emergencies. “No, we are here because you didn’t understand the constellations because you haven’t really  _ seen _ them. We are here to study, Ms. Cooper. Here in nature’s classroom.” 

Betty gasps and tackles him in a hug. “You are a genius Jug.  _ Genius _ !” He leans down and gestures for her to hop on his back. “Your chariot awaits, my dear.” She climbs up and he carries her to the middle of the field, finding the grassiest section he can. She places a kiss to his cheek before sliding back down onto the ground, grabbing a side of the blanket and laying it flat. Jughead lies down on his back, knees bent, before he takes her hand and pulls her down to him. Flickers of touch run throughout their bodies, knees leaning against one another, hands intertwined, and heads millimeters apart. 

“Alright Betts, are you ready to be educated?” He turns his head towards her. 

“Absolutely. Educate away.” Betty squeezes his hand and he brings her closer to him, trying to ward off the cold air all around them. Their joined hands rest on Jughead’s chest, his heartbeat thumping against them. 

He points up to the sky. “You see that really bright star? It’s about one third of the way up from the horizon.” 

“Mhmm.”

“That’s the North Star also known as—”

She gasps and sits up quickly putting her hand on Jughead’s chest. “And straight on ‘til morning!”

Jughead snorts at her outburst. “I think you meant, the second star to the right, and straight on till morning. But we’re looking for constellations anyway, Betts, not Neverland.” 

Betty furrows her brow slightly and lays back down. “I wish we were looking for Neverland instead.”

“You’re cute. Now, you see the North Star? Okay, that’s the beginning of the Little Dipper.” He looks over at her and sees her intently studying the sky. “You with me so far?” She shakes her head in affirmation. “Okay, now look down a little bit and slightly to the left, there should be a star right in line with the North Star. That’s the top right corner of the Big Dipper.” 

Betty enthusiastically nudges Jughead’s leg with hers. “Oh my gosh! I see it. Look!” She’s pointing up at the sky and tracing the constellation with her finger. “It looks like a pot! Holy crap! Look at it!”

“Yeah! The Big and Little Dipper are what’s called circumpolar, which means they don’t rise and fall like the sun. It rotates around the north celestial pole.” Feeling Betty shiver next to him, he rubs the arm laying across his chest trying to get her goose bumps to go away. 

“How do you know so much about all this?” she asks him, in what sounds like wonderment.

“I spent many a night under the stars when things were shitty with my dad. I loved staring up into the vast sky, seeing something that was so much bigger than myself. Studying the pattern I saw every night gave me something to look forward to.” He could only see the outline of her features and a glittering of her eyes with the dull light of the moon, but he knew they were filled with love. Jughead is sure it reflected what she could see in his own eyes. 

Rolling over slightly, Betty touches her forehead to his and leans slightly to bump her nose with his. “You never cease to amaze me. Even after all these years, I keep learning new things about you, which only makes my heart swell.” The scent of lavender vanilla fills his nose, a scent that is just so  _ Betty _ . When he was younger, staring up at the continuous sky above him, wondering about what his future held, never would he have imagined a life with the blonde miracle lying beside him. 

Jughead goes to tell her as much, but she beats him to it saying, “You know, I think the reason I couldn’t understand the constellations from the textbook, is because it turns out, the stars were in your eyes the whole time.” She’s barely able to get the sentence out before collapsing into a fit of giggles.

Rolling over her, Jughead pins her arms above her head and brings his mouth millimeters from hers. “You’re ridiculous.” he whispers, their lips brushing against one another sending a warmth through him. 

Betty smiles against his mouth, hands escaping his from above her head, only to slip her fingers through his hair. _She’s going to kill me, but what a way to go. _He muses to himself . “Yeah, but you still love me.”

It would be an act of God to stop him from kissing her in that moment. He closes the minimal distance between them, reveling in her soft lips against his before pulling back to caress her cheek. “Damn right I do.” Betty wraps her leg around his waist, eliminating any space between them. “As much as I’d love to continue where this is going, we have more studying to do.” The pout that graces her mouth makes her lips too irresistible not to kiss. Pecking her lips quickly, he shifts them to lie on their backs again, but now Betty’s head rests against his stomach and one of his hands runs through her hair. 

“Alright, where was I?” They speak in hushed whispers, not wanting to disturb the quiet of the night. Stars are spattered across the expanse of the deep ebony sky, creating a landscape of past and future. It’s like a painting, every star seemingly thrown randomly across the canvas, but in reality, each has a purpose and meaning in it’s brightness and placement. They stay, until they can’t keep the cold away with just each other, finding the centuries old patterns in the sky and creating their own.

Once they pack up their blanket and get back to the car, Jughead blasts the heat to hopefully get feeling back into their fingers again. 

Betty turns her body to him. “Why did you stop stargazing Jug?” He gives her a confused tilt of his head. “Well, you said it was one of your favorite things to do as a kid, but I’ve never seen you so it?”

Jughead shrugs and stares out of the windshield, taking one last glimpse at the sky. “I guess life got in the way and I just never really took the time to slow down and simply watch.”

Betty crosses her arms and with finality she states, “That just won’t do. I’m making an executive decision. From today on, we’re going to make time to watch the stars together.” 

Jughead leans over and kisses her creased forehead. “I think that sounds like a wonderful plan.” 

…

“So, did Mommy fail her test?” Jughead is brought back to the present moment, his little family all huddled together on a blanket in the middle of the campground. His beautiful 5-year-old girl with dark curly hair and piercing green eyes sits in front of him, perched up, sitting on her heels, desperate for any information she can get about her parents before they were Mommy and Daddy. His blonde headed, blue eyed 3-year-old boy was climbing his back like a jungle gym, having lost interest in the story about half way in. 

Smiling at his daughter, Kennedy, he says: “Of course not, Bean.” 

Her eyes light up with admiration and she climbs into Jughead’s empty lap. Peering up at him she whispers, “But only because you helped her, right, Daddy? Because like Mommy always says, you’re her knight in shining armor.”

“I don’t know Bean, I think Mom is the knight in shining armor.” Jughead quickly pulls his son, Grayson from his shoulder and plops the boy onto his lap next to Kennedy. Tickling them, he calls out over their laughter, “I think I’m the dragon in this family! Here to take you down with tickles and kisses!” The sound of squeals of delight and laughter echo through the night as Jughead showers his children with kisses. 

A soft, sweet voice comes from behind them. “Alright hooligans, who wanted hot chocolate?”

“Mommy!” Both kids instantly scramble towards Betty, leaving Jughead on the blanket. Kennedy grabs the cups from Betty, ever the little helper and Grayson clings onto Betty’s leg, forever her sweet Mama’s boy.

Leaning down, Betty scoops up Grayson and places a loud smooch onto his chubby little cheek, so she can actually walk without spilling the hot chocolate everywhere. “Well hello, my loves. Did you survive with Daddy while I was gone?” Grayson’s response is to snuggle deeper into her shoulder, his eyes already droopy and Kennedy nods enthusiastically. Jughead smiles up at his beautiful wife before taking the thermos from her. They all get situated on the blanket, Kennedy back in her father’s lap and Betty leaning up against him with a sleeping Grayson in her arms. 

Jughead reaches his arms around his daughter in order to pour the hot chocolate from the thermos and into a cup for her. 

“Did you remember the marshmallows, Mommy?” Kennedy asks, her eyes transfixed on the chocolate liquid being poured in front of her. 

Betty reaches from behind her and triumphantly holds out the bag of white puffy sugar bombs. “Of course I brought them! Who do you think I am?” Kennedy’s face splits into a huge grin, taking up the entirety of her face. She makes grabby hands at the bag and immediately rips it open when Betty gives it to her, marshmallows going everywhere. Shaking his head, Jughead helps to pick up the launched marshmallows. He’s rewarded with a kiss to his cheek by the 5-year-old and a “Thanks Daddy.” She settles in with her cup and a half eaten marshmallow, leaning as far back into her father a possible before tilting her face to the sky. 

Betty leans over and brushes a stray curls from the young girl’s face. “Okay Pumpkin, do you remember any of the constellations Daddy taught you last night?” 

“Yup!” She answers, with an exaggerated pop to the “p”. “The Little Dipper is right there, with the shiniest star at the very top.” 

Jughead runs his hand through her silky hair, heart bursting with love for his smart girl. “That’s right, Bean!”

Kennedy looks at her mother and nearly shouts, in the oblivious way children do, “That’s the first constipation Daddy showed you!” Betty and Jughead share a look and try not to laugh at their daughter’s mix up.

“It’s a constellation, sweetheart. But yes, it was the first one. How did you know?” 

Kennedy looks back at the sky. “Daddy told me all about it.” 

Jughead watches the little girl in wonderment, knowing that what he has right now couldn’t hold a candle to anything he had envisioned for his life as a child. Betty kisses his shoulder, taking his attention from the little ball of energy in his lap, his head turning towards her. They share a smile, both watching as Grayson lets out a little huff, nose scrunching in his sleep, and snuggles deeper into Betty. 

Jughead places a kiss to the crown of Betty’s head and whispers into her hair. “He looks just like you with his nose like that.” 

Betty caresses the toddler’s cheek lovingly before looking up at her husband. “My nose doesn’t scrunch.” she whispers back, acting like he’s crazy for saying so. 

Jughead looks at her and narrows his eyes in jest before she breaks out into a smile. “Fine, maybe I do.” They’re quiet again, until Kennedy breaks the silence with her curiosities. Jughead points out all of his and Betty’s favorite constellations as well as pointing out the Milky Way. By the time he’s finished explaining, Kennedy is fast asleep, a ring of chocolate around her mouth from her finished drink. Betty and Jughead watch their little mischief makers’ peaceful faces, relishing in the quiet that so rarely occurred. 

Betty breaks the silence once more. “I want another one.”

Jughead pauses the gentle up and down on Kennedy’s back to look over at his wife. “Another...hot chocolate?”

Betty laughs and stamps a kiss to his lips, moving carefully as to not wake up Grayson. “No, silly. I want another baby.”

Thinking for a moment, Jughead realizes how absolutely chaotic his life would be with three little monsters running around. He smiles against Betty’s lips and whispers an answer easily. “Absolutely.”

Betty sighs in relief, her body relaxing further into his. “When we get back to the house, we have a lot of work to do, Mr. Jones.” she says with a sly wink.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you guys liked it!  
Come say hi: @ithoughyoulikedmereckless


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